Snow White & The 7 Signature Restaurants {Update: 9/21 Beaches & Cream and Citricos)

[jude&jonah]

Beaches & Cream

The next morning we were supposed to go to Epcot in the AM and then DHS in the afternoon. We had a Coral Reef reservation for 12 noon- but ended up not doing any early mornings in the parks on our trip. We wanted to sleep in, swim, and then head out in the early PM most days- and since the lines were so short- we decided to just take that more laid back approach! We skipped our Epcot reservation and instead took a cab to the Beach Club. We decided to do a really casual lunch at Beaches & Cream. We knew it wasn't our best value on the Deluxe Dining Plan by any means- but wanted something simple and wanted to check it out anyway.

First off, it is too cute inside. It reminds me of Prime Time- but I like the menu better (more burgers and fries instead of home cooking) and if you're not in the mood to 'play along' it's a better option. Don't get me wrong- I actually do like 50's Prime Time for fun- but only in a big group of people or with kids. This had a similar feel- but was much more of a simple experience.

Here's a few pictures of the inside- it feels like a 50's soda shop:

The menus are really cute:

I ordered a chocolate shake and my Mom was really happy to see there was this orange freeze thing that is made out of fat-free yogurt and orange flavoring that worked for her diet so she got to indulge too.

I got the burger and my mom got the veggie burger. Overall, good basic burgers. Forgot to take a picture but googling found this:

My mom asked for 5 fries only (too funny- she wanted a few but can't have a lot at all) and they were really good about not giving her too many- I think they gave her about 8-10 fries on her plate- perfect!

Our waitress, Judy we'll say- I can't remember what her name really was- was really sweet but seemed a little scatterbrained. We weren't too upset about it! We weren't in a rush and were just enjoying our frozen drinks.

Overall it was a very laid back, easy lunch that we could walk right up to. Again, definitely not a great value on the dining plan- but I think in the future if I pay out of pocket or don't do Deluxe, I'll definitely pay out of pocket for a dinner here one night- a good bang for your buck OOP!

We give Beaches & Cream a...

Nothing too special, but a cute little spot to grab a very American and cheap lunch!

Up next... the restaurant where I cried I hated the menu so much! (Unfortunately, I'm not joking )

 

[CTSue]

Thanks for all the sweet comments many of you have made about my heart attack recovery. If you know anyone with heart disease, let them know that a good healthy recovery is possible.

We walked 8 to 10 miles many of the days during our trip, and I was able to find "heart healthy" foods at the restaurants. In fact, that's one of the reasons my daughter chose to have us go to so many of the signature restaurants- she knew there'd be many more healthy choices, like very good fish, veggies and fruits there.

We really did have a once in a lifetime experience at California Grill. I'm really grateful for that.

 

[CTSue]

This is what my orange shake consisted of:

Frozen Sunshine - orange sherbet, vanilla ice cream and seltzer, blended to perfection, topped with whipped cream, and a candied orange slice $4.99

I asked them to make it using fat-free vanilla ice cream which I saw on the menu, and I asked them to top it with a tiny bit of whipped cream.

It was really good!

 

[jude&jonah]

Citricios

After Beaches and Cream, we went to DHS and were done about 3-4 hours later. Don't get me wrong- we love Disney as much as the next disboarder- but being adults and knowing what rides we like and don't like- we find we can get through a park pretty quickly. After 3-4 hours at a park- we'd rather head back to a resort for drinks and people watching- hah!

We prefer hanging out at the Polynesian instead of the Grand Floridian- so despite our Citricos reservation for 7:30- we headed to the Polynesian for a poolside drink. We hung out there for a bit and then took the monorail over to Citricos.

First reaction to Citricos- the style was not to my liking! Not a huge deal- but I just didn't really enjoy the decor- it was a bit outdated for me. Also, the woman who checked us in didn't offer anything friendly or a smile. Again, minor, but just nothing special.

Here's a look from google to get you in the moment with us:

We were seated and I was feeling a bit down. I looked at the menu and not one thing appealed to me. I guess I am not a meditterian food girl- I should have looked at the menu more before booking! On top of that- I used to work at the Grand Floridian in 2006. I think it was making me slightly edgy- almost like I felt like I didn't belong there dining and relaxing. Who knows, but I was just not thrilled. After a short mild argument between my Mom and myself (let's be honest- what would a disney vacation be without a few little squabbles with family? ) I tried to make the best of the situation.

Our waitress, Karen (not her real name- I can't remember it), seemed formal and cold at first, but as we warmed up, she did too. She ended up being very detail oriented and attentive so we were happy with her in the end.

With limited enthusiasm, I took Karen's suggestions and ordered the sauteed shrimp. They are sauteed in white wine, feta cheese, lemon, and tomatoes. Yum! It was a light appetizer of about 8 shrimp- a good start! I definitely suggest it if you like shrimp.

Here it is halfway eaten- those are chunks of feta:

My mom got the gazpacho which we forgot to photograph. I think it was the next day we got more consistent with photographing our meals. If you like spicy cold tomato soup- then you'd like it I'm sure! She said it was good (for gazpacho).

For our meals, we both took Karen's suggestions and got the braised ribs. I was dubious- but yum! They were really good. They'd been cooking for about 12 hours that day and were really tender. They were served with roasted vegetables and polenta. Unfortunately the polenta didn't appeal to me so we both opted for the carrot-potato mash. It was a DELICIOUS swap and went really well with the short ribs.

Googling shows me it looked like this- but swap out the polenta:

I think that's accurate- hah! I was about 3 glasses of wine in- perhaps that is why they were so tasty.

I wasn't truly happy with citricos, despite two tasty courses, until dessert came out though.

I ordered the lemon cheesecake- wow! So delicious and light! I love cheesecake, I do, but sometimes I find it a bit too heavy and sweet for me. This was just PERFECT! It had all the beauty of a cheesecake but was a bit lighter. The amount of lemon was perfect. I highly highly suggest this dessert.

My mom had some kind of berry dish. I think she thought it was just decent- although it's hard to remember to be honest. I'm sure she'll pipe in if I'm wrong.

How do I wrap up the Citricos experience…? It was one of my least favorite signatures- I'll say that. With that said- it was still very wonderful. The food, despite much of it not appealing to me, that we did end up getting was very delicious, the service was good, and the dessert I got blew me away. With that said, I just wasn't as crazy about the restaurant overall. The interior was nothing special to me (personal preference), it felt a bit less warm and friendly as some of the restaurants, and the menu was my main complaint. I guess I should describe the menu to feel very 'crock pot esque'. I could have prevented this before hand, and I'm sure some people love this type of food, but I've never been a fan of those types of foods as much. Overall, happy we went and it was a nice evening- but I think it would be the one I wouldn't return to if I couldn't do as many.

We gave Citricos a…

Up next, a shrimp and avocado sandwich on raisin bread at Downtown Disney! A strange but tasty combination!

 

[st4rrab0vemybed]

Absolutely love your reviews so far, and I'm definitely considering California Grill to try for my next trip. It was so nice of you to treat your mom (very glad to hear she's fully recovered btw) and spend quality time together. My recent trip to Disney was just my mom and I, and we had a blast as well! Anyways, awesome thread and looking forward to rest of the reviews!

 

[DLo]

We plan on a meal at beaches and cream in a couple if weeks. agree not best use of dining plan but a good change up from counter service in the parks for a burger. The sundaes are amazing. Lunch there a couple of years ago is what got us interested in the epcot are resorts. We still have not tried a signature - i have a picky ds13 so not worth the money. Maybe when do an adult only trip I'll finally get to try one!

 

[Finkerfell]

We had Jason as a server on 9/4 and we emailed Disney about what a fantastic job he did.

Loving your reviews- I thought the Oak-Filet filet at Cali Grill was amazing, too! I almost got the pork tenderloin but I had pork overload at Tusker House the night before and Jason convinced me the filet was the way to go.

Boy, was he right!!!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

That short rib picture is actually from Jiko! My mom had it a few weeks ago, and it was really good.

Sorry you didn't love Citricos, but glad that most of the food was still okay anyway.

 

[Krissalee]

I am really enjoying your reviews - thanks so much for sharing them!

 

[DisneyDivaN]

Loving your reviews and can't wait for more!! Love that it was a mom and daughter trip! So glad you liked Cali Grill one of our favs partly because of our waiter too! Love you rating system too!

 

[Merida]

Subbing!

I agree, the inside of Beaches and Cream is adorable! I want to stop in there to try the same orange ice cream drink your mom had!

I'm very jealous of how quickly you can go through a park. I'm too indecisive to get done quickly, but drinks and people watching at the Poly is SO tempting. What kind of drinks would you recommend there (if you remember any! I'm terrible at remembering names of drinks. )?

 

[CTSue]

Hi Merida,

I hope you do go have the orange sherbet based drink at Beaches and Creams! Sooo good!

Regarding your question about the drinks we had at the pool bar at the Polynesian- I don't remember the names of the drinks, but each pool bar seemed to have an interesting printed menu of specialty drinks with appetizing names, describing exactly what was in each drink. I think I recall that my daughter got a drink that had a banana liquor among it's ingredients, and I got one that had a coconut flavored liquor. We thought the two drinks tasted pretty similar to each other despite the different ingredients, and both were very good! Ask for one of those menus, and go by what ingredients appeal to you. Of course the relaxing tropical setting is the secret ingredient that makes them all taste so good! Cheers!

 

[plutosgirl]

Loving your reviews and your ratings!